FRIDAY WIND DOWN: Goodbye 2021, hello 2022…
Zach BlassAfter a jam-packed calendar of novelty debuts and watch fairs, the holiday break was welcomed by the Time+Tide team. As watch lovers, not just labourers, we were, of course, still plugged into the community – ears to the ground and fingers on the pulse. But it was also a time to be with friends, family, and even enjoy some necessary moments of solitude to wind down. And by wind down, I mean binge The Witcher season 2 and Cobra Kai season 4 on Netflix.
Fully refreshed, we are now back to full throttle and eagerly anticipating what is to come for the watch industry in 2022. So far we have kicked off the new year with a new 321-powered Canopus Gold Speedmaster from Omega and two new US Special Editions from Grand Seiko that continue their own trend of icy blue dials – which some associate with the Tiffany blue boom, even if that may be a bit of a stretch.
A new year means new questions. Which watches will debut this year? What colour (or colours), will dominate dials this year? It is a lot to look forward to. I, for one, am stoked for the end of the month and LVMH Watch Week where we will surely see some new drops from TAG Heuer, Bulgari, Zenith, and Hublot. A couple of months later, we also have Watches & Wonders Geneva where the usual suspects will launch their new models – and with Grand Seiko participating for the first time I have high hopes for the Japanese manufacture (fingers crossed for a new 9SA5-powered watch!).
After a few years of doom and gloom, hopefully 2022 can bring more joy to the world – both in and outside the world of watches.
Hope you all have had a happy and healthy start to the new year!
Zach
Watch meme of the week: Rolex riots
When I saw this meme I laughed quite hard. But the truth is price increases would not be the reason why the watch community is rioting. After publishing our story on the 2022 Rolex price hikes, the predominant sentiment I gathered from feedback was largely who cares? Now, of course people were curious what the new pricing was. Which models increased the least? The most? But, as many have noted on social media, it does not address the larger problem of availability. Rolex cases still largely remain empty in authorised dealers around the world, and you can’t pay more for something that, in the end, you can’t buy regardless. That being said, when the fortunate moment arrives where you can purchase your desired Rolex at retail, some models are now 10% more expensive than they were last year – good news for existing owners, a bit of a bummer for those saving up for when that fateful call arrives.
Wrist shot of the week: The name is Zhang… Andy Zhang
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In previous wrist shots of the week, we have praised watch pairings with wardrobes – sneakers and sleeve cuffs in particular. This past week however, Andy Zhang wins in the all too familiar watches and wheels pairing. Cars and watches share a large pool of enthusiasts, and naturally the engineering behind both appeal to gear heads around the world. So when we saw Andy channel his inner James Bond with his Land Rover and Omega No Time To Die Seamaster, we were absolutely racing with excitement.
Recommended Viewing: Watch Collecting Strategy’s “The Watches We Wore The Most This Year | Our Watch Collection Choices 2021”
Alongside many industry and community personalities, such as Max Büsser of MB&F and Marko of Swiss Watch Gang, our very own Andrew McUtchen shares his most worn watch of the year and why it received so much wrist time throughout 2021. You’ll have to watch the video above to find out which brand and model it was…
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week:
WATCH ANALYTICS WEDNESDAYS: New Rolex price hikes, which models were the most affected?
We recently partnered with @watchanalytics to crunch the numbers and dig into the horological market trends and value fluctuations for the references that matter. In our debuting entry for the column, we delved into the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Turquoise and its value spike in the wake of the record-breaking Patek Phillipe Nautilus 5711/1A-018 “Tiffany Blue” auction sale. This week we jumped into the 2022 Rolex price hikes and discovered which models were the least and most affected.
HANDS-ON: The Panerai Submersible Goldtech OroCarbo brings a luxurious touch of hyper-masculinity to the wrist
Black and gold as a colour combination will never fail to melt hearts, serving to imbue any watch with a sense of deluxe class no matter how macho it may be. The Panerai Submersible Goldtech OroCarbo may just be the perfect example of this. Head here to read why, or click on the video above to find out more.
Record auction prices, crazy hype, growing waiting lists… Are luxury watches becoming more popular? An economics professor crunches the numbers
Brendan Cunningham, a Professor of Economics at Eastern Connecticut State University and the man behind the blog Horolonomics which explores the economic issues in watchmaking, delves into all things auctions, “hype economy”, and unobtanium references. Click here for the full analysis.